Combining Boulevard’s expertise at making Belgian-style witbiers with Deschutes’ skill at brewing hop-forward ales, this beer puts a new spin on the idea of collaborative brewing. Working from a single recipe, brewmasters Steven Pauwels of Boulevard and Larry Sidor of Deschutes have produced two separate beers, more than 1,600 miles apart.

Despite the beer’s shared recipe, each of the two versions possess a unique identity, reflected in their naming and packaging. Boulevard’s half of the equation, christened Collaboration #2, is available throughout our selling region in both 750mL bottles and in kegs. Brewed at their Bend, Oregon facility, Deschutes’ effort is the second beer in their new Conflux collaboration series, and is available throughout their selling region in kegs and 22-ounce bottles. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63/71419

Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Pours a pale golden colour with a bit of cloud; off-white head sticks around nicely. Lacing is gorgeous. Looks great.

Smells interesting. Citric, tangy with a touch of sour. Lemon, some grapefruit and mild phenolic notes at the back. Rindy, but fruity. Quite pleasant.

Creamy upfront with light vanilla notes, then lots of tangy fruit. Lemon with a slight vinegar acidity as well, cidery and slightly woody, touch of buttery Chardonnay on the back. Zippy and refreshing, a lot of tang but doesn't lean too heavy on the bitterness. Really enjoyable.

Smooth mouthfeel, but a bit of bitter puckering on the back, which is unnecessary.

Deschutes, my favorite Oregon brewery, and Boulevard? Collaborating? Lucky enough for me, I went to Portland the week this came out and had the Deschutes version - on tap - then came back home to the KC area and had this bottle. Superb!

It's not really an IPA. It's really more of a witbier with more hops. Not much else I can say, it's a lot like the old Two Joker's witbier Boulevard had, with all those delicious hops like Deschutes uses in their super hoppy beers. (469 characters)

Bottle purchased from Belmont Station in Portland. Despite its proximity to Deschutes, this is actually the Boulevard version.

Pours a really lovely bright but hazed golden yellow colour. The haze adds a lovely sheen and sparkle to the body of the beer. Head is firm, fine and lovely and frothy, but mild and light at the same time, leaving about as much residue as a cloud. Very little lacing, and very little weight to the head itself. It really looks very good indeed, though.

Nose is clear and bright, but somewhat grassy, leaving a slightly prickly vegetative note in the aroma. There's a subtle hint of seawater, or perhaps chlorine to it too, not in a bad way, but in a fresh, slightly too eager brightness kind of way. Perhaps a dot of pepper to it as well, something that gives it something slightly spicy. It's OK, but I was expecting something a little bit more full and better integrated.

Taste is clear and bright, with a brusque, peppery note on the back. Light leafy hoppiness pervades throughout, but I think there must be a good dash of the wit botanicals in here as well: there's certainly an insidious spicy character that drifts through. The 7.5% ABV is hidden pretty well, but there could be a dash more body to support the beer overall. Feel is a little light as a result.

Overall. This is decent stuff. It's a nicely put together White IPA which leans a little heavily on the White, while maintaining some of the aggression of an IPA. I'm probably not the biggest fan, but I'm a fan nonetheless. But just in fair weather. (1,548 characters)

Overall, I feel that calling this an IPA is a bit misleading, as this comes across more as a mildly hoppy, more citrusy-than-usual witbier. Still enjoyable as a beer, rich with pleasant witbier-like flavors and herbs at this point.

Aroma is similar to a Belgian wit, but with stronger and more herbal fragrances. In particular, hearty wheat malt is noticeable, as well as orange essence, coriander, lemongrass, and some yeastiness.

Taste is features a base of fairly sweet wheat malt combined with orange juice and rind, with very noticeable, but still secondary flavors of coriander, lemongrass, and Belgian yeast and their byproducts. Very robust flavors, just not much of a noticeable hop component in this "IPA," though again, the bottle is about a year old. Lingering aftertaste of light, fruity citrus and a bit of balanced sweetness and bitterness.

Beer is medium to medium-heavy bodied with mid-level carbonation, creating a somewhat thick mouthfeel with carbonation that fizzes and foams this up slightly across the palate. Finish is semi-dry. Generally pleasant across the palate, nothing offensive. (1,192 characters)

A: Pours a nice hazy lemony golden with about one full finger of pure white head. The foams settles fairly quickly, leaving a nice rocky ridge along the edges of the glass.

S: The nose is fresh cut grass, honey, lemon, banana, and clove. I really like the crisp clean scent on this beer. It's smells super refreshing.

T: The initial hit is lemon and honey. There is a great sweetness with some citrus mellowing it out. Following, is a really earthy and grass like quality. It's damn refreshing. The back end is that familiar belgian banana and clove. The finish is more clove and bitter citrus.

M: Light bodied beer. It's crisp, clean, and definitely refreshing. There is a bit of lingering bitters and belgian yeast.

O: This is a really well done beer. I had this a few months ago, and really enjoyed it. But even now, this beer is holding up quite well. I'm a fan. (918 characters)

Collaboration No. 2, Smokestack Series, Boulevard Brewery & Deschutes Brewery. These two GREAT breweries got together and collaborated on an interesting idea, fusing a Belgian White and an India Pale Ale. The two worked together to create a recipe, then brewed it separately at their respective breweries, Deschutes naming their version, Conflux.

This brew pours a hazy, golden color, with LOTS of bubbles, a 2-inch BIG frothy head that is very slow to dissolve, leaving very clingy lace. Aromas of wheat, citrus, orange peel, coriander, lemon grass, and spices fill the nostrils and build a very complex nose. Those same complex and intriguing aromas follow into the taste of the beer, with a somewhat aggressive citrus hop profile cutting through the wheatiness. This lighter bodied ale features very spritzy carbonation and a clean, dry finish. An interesting take on two very distinct and classic styles, but one that works amazingly well. GREAT beer! (956 characters)

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a medium golden orange amber huge somewhat coarse white head and lacing. Aroma of sweet and caramel malt, orange, coriander and other Belgian spices, light hops. Taste starts with mild malt, wheat, citrus and spice flavors, somewhat dry but complex, finishes with hop bitterness and spices. Medium bodies with some creaminess. Quite different, but flavor progression is nice. Perhaps a bit astringent on the finish, but overall a great beer. I think they pulled off a cross between an American IPA and a Belgian witbier. More agressively flavored than the Deschutes, but also more of an IPA. Beautifully done. (649 characters)

Hazy gold with plenty of long lasting head. Smell is wheat, grass, coriander, and a lot of spice. Taste is a lot of the same - a wheat and grass backbone complimented by pepper, coriander, orange peel, with floral hops muted in the background. Bubbly like champagne.

Hard to categorize beer that needs to be tried. Pickup a bottle if/while you can. (424 characters)

T: Same as smell. Wheaty, the lemon grass and sage come through. Spicy/peppery, orange and lemon peel. Hops are there but not as strong/overbearing as I had hoped for in this style but are more of a balance that adds to the complex herbal flavors. Finishes nicely crisp, very dry, peppery, and bitter.

M: Wow, mouthfeel is amazing, medium, similiar to the same feel of other boulevard beers but very bubbly, almost champagne like which I loved.

O: Overall, I am partial to both Wits and IPAs so my review might be a little bias. That said this is my new favorite beer. For the style I think the balance is more on the Wit end and could be a tad more hoppy but still loved it. The beer is great with even more spices then I had hoped for. For me with the price and carbonation of this brew I would drink it on a special ocasion.

Pours clear light yellow/golden with soda carbonation under a huge fluffy head that lingers. Near the bottom, lots of yeast sediment gets stirred up and fogs the beer to a wheaty yellow. Funky aroma: leather and bready yeast. Some flowery hops. Tangy smelling.

Sharp tang and first followed by sourdough and wheaty corriander and clove. Rich layers of flavor: complex. Finishes dry and bitter, like an IPA should. Funny shift from sweet/tart initial taste to long, lingering, drying finish and cutthroat bitterness. Lovely.

Smell: Weird and interesting - some obvious witbier characteristics, such as coriander, citrus, citrus peel - wheat funk, some strange grassiness - very herbal, but not in a hoppy way - some hops as well - just a ton of things going on

From the label, the beer is a combination of a Belgian wit and an IPA. A new style of collaboration ale, Boulevard and Deschutes used a single recipe and brewed it separately at each location. Deschutes version is Conflux, which I didn't have the pleasure of drinking. Regardless, the creativity of the beer community that a collaboration white IPA exists is worth the taste for me.

White head of big vacuous bubbles rushes up when poured and nearly overflows. Falls to a heavy lace on top of an extremely pale straw gold. Floral and spicy nose. According to the label, coriander and orange peel traditional to wit was used, and sage and lemongrass added. Lemongrass is strongest, but they are all there blended with an assertive flowery and citrus west coast hop that is light and pleasant. Taste has more hop bit than expected, which gives a rush of light flavor. Mouthfeel is light without being watery. Overall, my first white IPA is a good experience but probably would get another bottle--if this one-off was available. (1,027 characters)

M - Spritzy carbonation brightens up the lively, lighter body. Soft and approachable, there's mild bitterness to the finish that pairs fantastically with the citrus, floral, and herbal aspects.

O - There isn't much, if anything, I'd change about this beer. It's a near-perfect blend of two great styles, pushing itself into uncharted territory. Sure, Belgian IPA comes to mind, but it's clearly an aggressively hopped wit! Additionally, where are they hiding the higher alcohol in this? It's dangerously drinkable! Boulevard and Deschutes have created a phenomenal beer. Try this beer with spicy jalapeno chips and pepper jack cheese. It stands up well. (1,458 characters)

Picked up the last bottle off the shelve at the local store, best by 2/2012 so I better get a move on ;)

Poured from corked 750mL to NBB Globe. The beer pours a semi-hazy though translucent yellow golden color with a nice 3 finger white head. Good retention and excellent lacing. The nose is a mild barley from which the earthy, piney, citrus tones emerge. Nice blend. A hint of the belgian yeast. The flavor starts off with a lemon, herb, grassy flavor that remains through out. The medium bitterness comes through in the middle. A nice belgian yeast tone. Finishes with a lingering pepper herb spice and mild bitterness. Interesting. Medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Overall, an interesting beer. Not normally a guy ti pick up a Belgian IPA but this was nice, and different. The herby spiciness makes it unique. Easy to drink. Glad to have sampled. (867 characters)

S: Smells of musty Belgian yeast with lemon, grass, and a bit of hops.

T: Taste is excellent. The lemon, herb, and grass flavors come through really nicely. There are nice Belgian yeast notes present throughout, as well a nice musty quality. Finishes slightly bitter and spicy.

M: Mouthfeel is also Belgian. Creamy, medium-bodied. The tiny bubbles of carbonation bring the taste buds alive. The beer cascades through the mouth and down the throat effortlessly.

O: A great Belgian IPA that definitely competes with the big hitters of the style. Instead of dumping a bunch of hops into a tripel, creating a huge Tripel DIPA, this beer tastes like a really good BSPA with slight hoppy notes that add complexity.

Definite winner for sure from Boulevard and Deschutes. These guys know their Belgians. (951 characters)

So, this is the collaboration with Deschutes huh?... and it was re-labeled by Deschutes as "Conflux" and is the same recipe, with a couple of minor variances.

I poured this into a FFF shaped glass.

A: It looked like freshly-squeezed orange juice with Alka-Seltzer, and about half my glass was filled with off-white head after a hard pour. Oops...

S: It had a very inviting citrus makeup, with a good bitter of grass that wasn't as grating as many I've tried in the Belgian IPA arena. Nice fresh filtered water quality to boot.

T: Lots of creative herbal spices here: lemongrass, coriander, and sage. Additionally, the sugar slap that I got on the finish was very reminiscent of Pixie Stick dust. I took my first sip before I even read the stats on it. Hot damn, I was right! This IS very much a Witbier with IPA leanings.

M: Bubbly and highly comfortable to drink. I'm pretty sure I've made that comment before about Boulevard's Smokestack Series beers. The lacing was used care wash stuff, and the spice stain on my palate is one that I wish for after every gourmet meal.

O: I think that it's quite ironic that I just had one of my favorite beers of the year with only two days left in the current calendar year. This was quite remarkable actually. (1,375 characters)

A- Poured into an oversized snifter... starts with a big pillowy white head with very nice retention and lacing. Beer is straw yellow in color with LOTS of sediment

S- Lots of orange citrus with some corriander and light hops

T- It's literally like drinking two different styles. Both styles seem to be present from start to finish, but it doesn't seem like the flavors ever mesh. Hops are a bit more forward at the start, but there's hints of the orange and spice. Rolls reverse in the finish... hops are present, but the orange, spice, and sweetness of the belgian style is most dominant

M- Light body with medium carbonation

O- Not my favorite from either brewery, but a solid beer for sure. Easy to drink and lots of flavors

Went for the boulevard half first. Yes, their stuff has a similar taste but I like it. Light and hazy appearance. Funky aroma. Creamier than the drier Deschutes side, with sweet and a bitter aspects. Nice drinkability, though i do not want a bomber by myself. Horizontal tasting, thanks Tom. (291 characters)

a little bit of dank, spicey hops, some lemony citrus, and a phenoly belgian yeast.

again, slightly dank lemony citrus hops, some nice spice whether it be from the hops or yeast, phenols, a touch of clove.

somewhat of a lightness like you would find in a wit, but overall a medium body. some bitterness lingers, maybe could use a bit more.

a nice hybrid style pulled off very nicely. i could drink this again, but i wouldnt really seek out another bottle. most of the people i was with thought the deschutes was a little better, i personally would say this one was better, but they are both so very similar its really hard to tell. (894 characters)